"Baltic Gold"

Coniferous forests grew more than 55 million years ago near the coast of the Baltic Sea. The warming climate made the trees produce large amounts of resin. Micro-organisms, oxidation, and other factors altered the resin to produce fossil amber. The amber deposits were then covered by sediment. According to ancient Lithuanian legend, "Baltic gold" comes from the shuttered amber palace of the Goddess Jurate, which was at the bottom of the sea, and from her tears of sorrow for her lost love. The colors of amber range from white to honey and dark brown to almost black.

Throughout the ages, amber has been a valuable commodity for Lithuanians. Photo by Antanas Sutkus.

In the 16th century, amber was fished with nets, and by 1725 divers were collecting amber. Amber was first mined in Lithuania in 1854. Today, most amber comes from the Jantarnyj quarries (in the territory of Kaliningrad, Russia), which produces over 700 tons every year.

The ancients Greeks and Romans called amber "the gold of the north". The Romans used it as medicine and as protection against illness. In the East, it was believed that amber smoke strengthened the soul and made people bolder. The Lithuanians burned amber over their dead to protect the souls from evil. They would also bless newborns, newlyweds and hunters with amber to insure health happiness and success.

Created: August 24, 1998
by Voras Internet Services, Ltd.
Revised: October 29, 2002
http://lithuanian-american.org/folklife/amber.html